Worrying about being rejected by a pig farmer was definitely not on my 2026 summer bingo card, but here I am, a bundle of nerves on the approach to La Ferme des Cedres Bleus in southwestern France.
My family and I have just picked up a four-person Adventure Campervan from Toulouse, booked through CamperDays. My husband is learning to navigate rural French roads with this extra weight while I rely on Google Maps to get us to the farm without having to execute tricky manoeuvres, like reversing up one-way streets.
I hope that when we arrive, the farm won’t be closed or turn us away – we haven’t booked, after all. Here in the southern part of Gers department, it’s not like there are other camping options just around the corner. In fact, from what I’ve seen, there’s little settlement amid the landscape of gentle rolling farmland and glassy lakes.
The children were drawn to the rare-breed Gascon pigs at La Ferme des Cedres Bleus (Photo: Chrissie McClatchie)
Fortunately, as the crunch of gravel rings signals our arrival, a woman comes out to greet us with a welcoming smile, pointing to a shady pitch under the blue cedars that give the farm its name. My husband parks up while she introduces herself, Nicole, and her son Eric, the farmer. My daughters, aged 10 and eight, run off to see the cute and cheery little Gascon pigs that are intrigued by our arrival. This is one of the generations-old family farms keeping the breed – one of the oldest and rarest in France – alive.
